Brazilian food in São Paulo

Brazilian food, on the other hand, is not well known around the world, except perhaps for a few dishes, like feijoada. So much for the world, that's their loss. Owing to its huge territory and inhomogeneous population constitution, different culinary traditions have sprung here, catering to a variety of tastes.

On restaurants, always ask whether the serving is for one or two people. It is quite common for some restaurants to have double-sized dishes on their menu, with no hint that is the case.

A little hint on prices:

$	means one can expect to have a full course meal for under US$ 15.00, beer and other soft drinks included.
¬$	means one cannot. However, US$ 30.00 will get you a long way.

Some of these restaurants have fine wine cellars. If you order wine, all price estimates are forfeit (big surprise :-).

Feijoada
This is probably the best known Brazilian dish. A black beans stew of several cuts of pork, dry beef and sausages, surrounded by a lot of side dishes, it makes sense to eat it on a Saturday lunch and then hibernate till Sunday morning. For the life of me, I cannot understand where the tradition of eating feijoada on wednedays comes from, but the fact is that many restaurants have it on Wednesdays and Saturdays (W/S). The list below is of those uncommon places that have feijoadas everyday. Traditonal feijoada has it all together in a single pot; buffet style exposes the ingredients separetely - don't be squeamish, go for the extremities (ears, tails, trotters).

Bolinha --- Av. Cidade Jardim, 53, Jardim Europa; 3061-2010. ¬$
Traditional style. Caters a bit to fashion with two contraptions: a light feijoada, devoid of high-cholesterol ingredients; and an unbelievable kosher feijoada, stamped with rabbinical approval (Chabad, I think). I would not go near either of these, but they may be necessary alternatives for some people.

Star City --- R. Frederico Abranches, 453, Santa Cecília; 3331-2044. $
Traditional style. Fixed price, great value.

Feijoada da Lana --- R. Aspicuelta, 421, Vila Madalena; 3814-9191. $
Buffet style, pleasant environment.

Churrasco(Grills)
In the traditional churrasco, big slabs of meat are skewered and slowly roasted over charcoal. To order it rare, ask for "mal passado"; most popular red cuts are picanha and fraldinha. Churrascarias ccome in two different flavors:
Rodízio - that is fixed price, all you can eat. Waiters carom around the tables with big skewers and intimidating knives, and slice off the slab directly to the plate. A huge salad bar is part of the deal, as well as an assortment of side dishes.
Fogo de Chão --- Av. Moreira Guimarães, 964, Moema; 5056-1795. ¬$
Best quality beef among rodízios.

OK --- Praça Bento de Camargo Barros, Ponte Pequena; 3311-7070. $
A lot of seafood in the salad bar, and some exotic meats on the grill - alligator and capivara.

Montana Grill --- Av. Presidente Juscelino Kubitschek, 816, Itaim Bibi; 3078-0999. $
Very cheap, but still safe.

A la carte - no surprise here, order from a menu.

Baby Beef Rubayat --- Al. Santos, 86, Paraíso; 3141-1188. ¬$
Great variety of premium cuts, prized several times. Also, a great W/S feijoada buffet.

Bassi --- R. Treze de Maio, 668, Bela Vista; 288-7045. ¬$
The owner is a meat dealer, and has developed some uncommon cuts.

Leôncio --- R. Girassol, 284, Vila Madalena; 3812-7309. $
Double-sized steaks for the price of a regular.

Moraes --- Praça Julio Mesquita, 175, downtown; 221-8066. $
This old downtown restaurant is not really a churrascaria, but has as its pièce de resistance a fried tall tenderloin. As expected, several options of sauces and side orders are available. The classical dish is tenderloin covered with crispy fried garlic, helped by a watercress salad.

Seafood
There is no great variety of shellfish in Brazil, as compared to the Pacific side of the continent, but there is enough fish, shrimps and squid for most everybody. The most common preparation is called a moqueca, a stew with onions and pimentos; as one moves from region to region, the seasoning and the broth change a lot, so the same name applies to quite different dishes.

Amaralina --- R. Borges Lagoa, 803, Vila Mariana; 5549-1552. $
Bahia is a state with a rich culinary tradition. Moquecas and several other seafood dishes. Try also the scary looking sarapatel, a mix of pork innards. Large servings.

Bargaço --- R. Oscar Freire, 1189, Cerqueira Cesar; 3085-5058. $
Moquecas, Bahia style, well prepared.

Espírito Capixaba --- R. Francisco Leitão, 57, Pinheiros; 3085-4396. $
Capixaba means native to Espírito Santo state. Their moquecas are lighter than those from Bahia.

Enseada dos Camarões --- R. Pedro Nicole, 1, Chácara Klabin; 5055-0238. ¬$
Fixed price, all you can eat shrimps, cooked in a myriad ways.

Telha --- R. Doutor Franco da Rocha, 723, Perdizes; 3864-6033. $
Not specifically regional, but distinctly Brazilian seafood.

Inner country
As one moves away from the sea, beef, pork and poultry reign. A large variety of regional cuisines unfolds, with totally distinct characteristics.

Andrade --- R. Artur de Azevedo, 874, Pinheiros; 3064-8644. $
North-Eastern. Try carne-de-sol or carne seca (jerked beef). There is dancing at nights.

Suruí --- R. Prof. Alfonso Bovero, 363, Sumaré; 3864-4399. $
Luncheon buffet with some indian (native) recipes, that change daily.

Rancho Goiano --- R. Rocha, 112, Bela Vista; 289-5146. $
Goiás is the geographical center of the country. Try pequi - just don't bite the kernel.

Dona Lucinha --- R. Bela Cintra, 2325, Cerqueira Cesar; 3082-3797. $
Food in Minas Gerais is fatty, the vegetables are overkooked. Yet, there are some savory treats to be found, and this buffet has them all.

Consulado Mineiro --- Praça Benedito Calixto, 74, Pinheitos; 3898-3241. $
Also food from Minas Gerais, this is one of Lili's mom's favorites. Not a buffet, order individually. It is located at a dull square that is all but dull on weekends, with a craft fair and flea market that is worth a trip even if you don't care for the meal.

Galinhada do Bahia --- R. Azurita, 46, casa 8, Canindé; 3315-8614. $
To begin with, the cab driver cannot find the place. After consulting the street guide, he eyes you suspiciously, but gets going. At some point he enters an alley, straight out of a bad movie, and asks you whether you really want to stay. You shakily give him a steady "yes", pay, and get in - so to speak (while the cab scrams as fast as it can). You get into a ramshakle canopy, full of rickety chairs and tables, sit down and boldly ask for a full meal. It comes, looks distasteful, but most of it is actually quite tasty. It is a mix of several northeastern dishes; the highlight is the buchada, a Southern Hemisphere haggis, no kilt required. Price is a bargain, only serves lunch.

Amazon region
If you are not going there, at least try the food. Strangely, Amazonian restaurants have never been very successful in São Paulo, in spite of my patronage.

Carimbó --- R. Bela Cintra, 2325, Consolação; 3082-3797. $
Large fresh water fish (tambaqui, pirarucu). Try tucupi, a yellow brew out of cassava, used as broth in fish or duck stew, or in a strange and tasty soup called tacacá. The luncheon buffet is a small pout-purri of the whole range.